It has emerged that US President George Bush and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt were studiously absent from each other's speeches at the World Economic Forum in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, as the BBC's Magdi Abdelhadi reports from Cairo.

The pre-conference photo session was cordial enough - but that is where the niceties ended.

Both leaders' speeches contained strong criticism of the other. And it appears neither wanted to be present as the other spoke.